Nadeesha Godamunne is a captivating woman. Super beautiful and extremely talented, the Sri-Lankan native carries these traits into her striking illustration she creates. She’s been featured in many publications - ‘The Australian Creative’, Martin Dawber’s ‘The Big Book of Fashion Illustration’ and Sandra Burke’s new ‘Fashion Designer’ series. Her distinct style is rooted with a focus on challenging the current ethos of peoples perception of fashion. She renegotiates dominant conventions by reconsidering the line, the form, and typical notions of what beauty is. Her work questions the principles of good taste, and where the appreciation of beauty lies.

Besides bending the rules, Nadeesha’s illustrations are eye-catching for obvious reasons. They are full of emotion, sometimes humourous and often quirky. Each one depicts a strong sense of character, through the use of exaggerated pose and expression, drawing models that are not close to real life standards. In doing so, not only does she create a unique style of drawing, but also, shows us that there is another way in which fashion can be portrayed.
 
Though her story would seem pretty cookie cutter, in as far as getting an education in something technical like fashion illustration. Nadeesha completed her bachelors in fashion design at Auckland University of Technology [2008]. But since graduating, life has been anything but typical for this fashion designer turned fashion illustrator.
 
After completing her design education, Nadeesha took a ride with her graduate project, entitled ‘T’rompe L’oeil’. The project features hand-illustrated garments, which were digitally printed on shift dresses, giving the illusion of several layers of clothing. Like many of Nadeesha’s work, it hope to stand up against a challenge. T’rompe L’oeil’ challenges the boundaries of conventional clothing and embraces forward thinking by using the latest in technology. These are the elements to consider when thinking about where fashion innovation and creation is headed. It also captures the spirit of our times.
 
The project has garnered Nadeesha awards and accolades, including; it won her the I.D. Emerging Designer Award; was shown at the prestigious Mittel Moda Fashion Awards [2009], it triumphed at the New Zealand The Style Pasifika Fashion Awards, receiving best prize for ‘Best Three Piece Collection’, and took home the Grand Supreme Award for ‘Best Collection.’
 
Despite its success, Nadeesha felt she still had something left unexplored. So, she decided it was time to complete her Masters in fashion illustration. She completed her Masters in Art and Design  [2010], with her Masters project, “Illustration as Inquiry” that celebrated New Zealand’s fashion culture - culture – acerbic, attentive and at times, outrageous – its observations showcase the “fashionista” and the power of satirical illustration. It also commemorated a decade of New Zealand Fashion Week.
 
What’s next for Nadeesha? Lecturing part-time, focusing on the importance of visual communication in the design process from initial working and technical drawings to final illustrations for presentations, and providing tools and techniques to visually express an idea. She’s also and pursuing illustration through collaborative and editorial work. The satirical approach she examined for her masters is an aspect she will explore further, and refine it to incorporate humor, which is a powerful charateristic in her work.
 
Making fun of and having fun in fashion is just the way Nadeesha draws it up.

Images via International Rescue

Hilary Lauren Fox
		About the author:
		Sometimes she's a redhead, sometimes she's a blonde. Some days it's H&M, and on other days, it's Chanel. What ever the mood, she is a woman who is passionate about the arts, fashion and social media. Born in Toronto, Hilary Lauren Fox is an only child to artist parents - mom was an illustrator and pattern maker, dad was a painter.  Rather then studying the arts as her parents hoped for, Hilary opted for a degree in psychology with dreams of working in a clinical setting. But after graduating she realized that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree and that the arts was in her blood, applying her education within the art and fashion world.
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